OPENProstate Cancer
Carbon ion radiotherapy for prostate cancer
Indications
Carbon ion radiotherapy for prostate cancer is performed in the following cases.
| Disease | Indication | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Localized or locally advanced prostate cancer (except cases with metastasis) | T1c-T4 (bladder neck involvement) N0M0 primary prostate cancer diagnosed pathologically |
Prostate cancer is a good indication for carbon ion radiotherapy. Basically all patients with non-metastatic prostate cancer are candidates for the treatment. However, exceptions are patients with recurrence following total prostatectomy or hormone therapy, for whom carbon ion radiotherapy is not indicated. Carbon ion radiotherapy for prostate cancer began at NIRS in a clinical study in June 1995. It was approved as advanced medical care in November 2003 and has been covered by health insurance since April 2018. Initially, the proper dose and method of irradiation were established in a clinical study in which the treatment was administered 20 times in 5 weeks. Efforts were subsequently made to shorten the treatment duration to 4 weeks and then 3 weeks, and the number of patients treated has increased due to the improved efficiency. Currently, more than 200 patients are treated each year. A decrease in side effects has been realized as a result of irradiation technology refinements such as optimization of the dose for reduced treatment durations and the introduction of scanning irradiation. A clinical study of treatment for 1 week is currently being conducted in low- and moderate-risk patients.
Treatment record in QST hospital
| Disease | Period | Number of Patients | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Localized or locally advanced prostate cancer (except cases with metastasis) | June 1995 to July 2018 | 3,077 |
Between June 1995 and July 2018, 3,077 patients were treated. The overall 5- and 10-year survival rates were 95.8% and 85%, respectively. Treatment results have been particularly favorable in high-risk patients, with a 5-year biochemical recurrence-free rate of 90.5% and a 5-year survival rate of 95% for this group. Regarding side effects, the frequency of rectal bleeding has been particularly low, with the most recent results showing 2 or more episodes of bleeding in not more than 1% of patients.